Elements
by Brain and Eggs
Summary: A Runway dinner brings with it surprising results.
1. Chapter 1

"And for you sir?" The lightening cast a soft illuminating glow around the man in a freshly pressed tuxedo.

Nigel paused briefly after taking in the menu, "I'll have the seared scallops and seasonal leaves please."

"Very good. And you miss?"

"I think I'll have the seared scallops with the Thai pea puree please. Thank you." Andrea spoke softly and politely.

The waiter smiled and nodded before leaving the Runway table; brisk and efficient. The table constituting of Miranda, Nigel, Andy and Emily, with Serena alongside her. The dining was in conjecture with going through the details of the shoot that was scheduled in the Bahamas. Where Serena would be heading her own team. Emily and Andrea both held notepads and pens before everybody was served their meal.

The atmosphere was always different when any member of the Runway team dined out with their boss who could reduce hardened businessmen to floods of tears with a simple electrocuting look. It was different when she was out in public; the smile that graced her face was breath taking, unless you knew her. And one knew it was not a smile and whatever captured her eyes it would always be faux.

Andy brushed some hair out of her face, before not being able to stop the air leave her lungs in a quiet gasp.

Pointed ice eyes stared at her, whilst Nigel leaned near her, "The dinner plate to small sweetheart?"

Andy ignored the jab now that her size was four and shook her head, the feeling of her heart in her throat. Miranda proceeded to ignore her second assistant and speak to Emily about the cars that would collect them at the airport.

Andy leant closer to Nigel and whispered,"Um... you know that engagement that I broke off a few years ago before Nate?"

Nigel nodded, and Andy tried to discretely point to the entrance of Izzys where several people entered through the glass doors.

Nigel raised his eyebrow and looked to the brunette who suddenly looked like she had when Cerulean had been the name of the conversation.

"Oh god, what am I going to do?"

"Well sweetheart behind this partition you won't be seen."

"Unless someone needs to use the bathroom?" Andy hissed in a low register.

"Oh."

"Yeah oh, thank you much Nigel." Andy pinned Nigel with a cold irritated look that really had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with seeing her ex fiancé.

"Is there a reason a conversation needs to be discussed at the volume of kindergarten?" Miranda's frosty voice captured the art director and second assistant's ears, when the volume was lower than anything they had been talking about.

"Um no, sorry Miranda." Andy responded apologising and blushing pitifully, whilst Emily shook her head at whatever idiocy seemed necessary for the brunette to talk about at a business dinner.

Nigel was the only one who was able to speak.

"It seems your assistant has just seen someone they wished not too."

Andy felt red flush her face, as the heat climbed up her throat in embarrassment. "Nigel."

"What?" Nigel turned and looked at her innocently, whilst his eyes all but danced.

"Oh really, and was social courtesy not taught at the prestigious North-western Andrea or have you simply decided to interrupt this meeting by whispering like a child when it would certainly make more sense that you said hello so I didn't have to listen to insipid talk that has nothing to do with this dinner."

Andy looked down, knowing that it was a good thing she had used foundation but not blusher this evening.

Nigel smiled his voice sarcastic, although his eyes weren't.

"It couldn't hurt to say hello. Go be the bigger person."

"Not very difficult." Emily replied softly, out of the corner of her mouth.

Andy felt the drilling in the centre of her chest like she were about to catch herself alight with the burning in her mouth.

She smiled to the table, before standing and walking slowly like she were taking great care in a choreographed dance, when really it was because she felt like her legs were trying to walk through blazing honey.

She walked closer to a man with the soft raven hair; his suit cut by Gucci's finest. Despite everybody not wanting to risk Miranda's wrath; Emily, Serena and Nigel all watched as Andy made her way to what they heard to be her ex fiancé, all wondering how she had been with someone who wore Gucci before coming to Runway and looking the way she had.

Andy passed the man with raven hair and quiet eyes, and stepped in front of a woman wearing a sleeveless red wine knee length dress.

"Hi Remy."

Although figuratively it was clear Emily's mouth had hit the table.

_an; tbc_


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh my god, Andy. Hi." Remy leant forward with a warm smile and embraced the brunette. Her honey coloured eyes glistening.

"How are you?"

Andy gave a small smile, "I'm good. I'm actually working."

"Yeah, Lisa said you worked at Runway now." Remy's eyes trailed over the brunette's décolleté, "It looks good on you."

Andy smiled, "Thanks. You meeting someone here or…"

"I'm actually heading up one level, my companies using one of the conference rooms."

Andy nodded before realising she was grateful she worked for someone who valued time as money, "Well I better get back to my table."

Remy's face briefly flashed with hurt before pasting a smile on her face, "Sure. I've heard you're kept busy these days. Perhaps, we could meet up before I leave New York in a few days."

Andy's next statement however polite left no room for argument," I don't think so. Take care of yourself Remy."

Once she seated herself back at the table, she didn't turn around to see the eyes that head pierced her seven years ago.

Emily and Serena were looking everywhere but her, until Miranda rolled her eyes, "Is there anybody else who is going to need your attention tonight Andrea?"

Andy faced Miranda with a level look, "No, thank you Miranda."

...

Once the clock turned midnight Miranda and Andrea found themselves ensconced in the backseat of the town car. The silence was palpable, instead of just nerve filled like a normal working day.

"She seemed happy to see you."

Andrea's eyes widened at the one sentence from a woman who detested personal life and small talk.

"S...Sure I guess."

"You guess?"

Andy paused, "Yes, she seemed happy to see me."

"I believe our dear Emily's mouth didn't pop back into place after that."

Andy smirked,"Hmm, no I guess not. I suppose she wasn't expecting it to be someone other than a good young country boy from back home."

Miranda's chuckle was shallow at Andrea's self-deprecation.

Andy let the minutes trickle by before she spoke again, "We were together for four years. We were fourteen. My parents didn't even have an issue with it. I guess they thought it would be forever or it would phase out like silly puppy love."

"You don't strike me as the type to make the choice of being with someone without really wanting to be with them." Miranda said quietly. "Well unless you're aided with expensive French wine."

Andy felt the rebuff sting, even now.

Andy turned to stare at her, "I'm not…I guess… I can accept that we are all only human. I can accept people make mistakes. I can accept second chances, but…" She trailed off, as Miranda watched her from the reflection in the car window before turning around to look at the brunette who sat looking down, twiddling her thumbs. Before lifting her head up, "I forgave her once. I couldn't do it again."

Miranda's hum was almost silent, as she listened to the words that Andrea wasn't saying.

"And when you get older, you realise that what you felt wasn't love. You grow up and you realise what love is."

"So you realised after dating the cook what love was, and with her it wasn't?"

Andy wondered how Miranda had come to know about Nate.

"I've realised neither of them was the love, that it is supposed to be."

"And how at twenty five could you possibly now understand, what love is supposed to be?"

Andy contained the protective bandaging she kept around her heart, as the question was asked to her, by the person that could hurt her the most. And not because she could be fired. Andy looked back at Miranda, as fiery eyes caught her whole.

"I understand."

Miranda pursed her lips gently. "You're still young. You'll learn."

Andy snorted in derision, "Then why are you asking me?"

"I was curious."

"Miranda you're never curious."

Miranda opened her eyes in a wide gaze, the question dancing in her eyes.

Andy sighed, "Unless it's Runway, or your private life. You're never curious. Unless it's something you care about."

Andy suddenly found herself stumped into silence. She watched the silver white halo from the corner of her eye; the Queen however, said nothing.

The next ten minutes passed by, with an energy encircling them that made every inch of skin tingle.

Roy pulled up by Andreas building. Andy paused briefly before reaching for the car door.

Miranda watched her; for whatever reason when she had seen the woman embrace her assistant, and had looked at her décolleté, she had felt possession swell up within her with one word filling with jealous rage in her chest.

_Mine._

The hurt that she had seen in the brunettes eyes had reached places that ached, a place she didn't even know was inside of her. And when Andrea had spoken of understanding what love really was, for some reason she felt those eyes were looking only at her, through and into her.

She placed her hand on the silk coloured thigh, which caused Andrea to stop moving. She felt the brunette's leg begin to tremble.

"I do."

Andy frowned before realising what Miranda meant.

"_Unless it's Runway, or your private life. You're never curious. Unless it's something you care about_."

Andy gazed back up into those beautiful blue waters and beyond care in those eyes, she saw home.


End file.
